We will be impartial in Davido’s child abduction case – NAPTIP opens up on how the case will be handled

We will be impartial in Davido’s child abduction case – NAPTIP opens up on how the case will be handled

Davido and Sophie Momodu

The drama between pop sensation, Davido, and the estranged mother of his daughter, Sophia Momodu, took a new dimension earlier in the week when the latter wrote a letter of petition against the musician through her lawyer, Mr. Gbolaga Ajayi.

Ajayi had while seeking protection for the rights of his client, petitioned the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons because the case borders on child abduction and trafficking.

When Saturday Beats contacted the Lagos State Zonal Commander of the agency, Mr. Joseph Famakin, he said that NAPTIP would be impartial as it proceeds with investigation into the matter.

“The case was reported to us on Wednesday and we have already commenced investigations. That is the only thing I can say for now. We are known for doing a diligent job irrespective of who is involved.

“For now, I cannot say anything about the case because we have just sent out invitations to the parties involved. I have neither seen nor interviewed any of them so for now I cannot really say much. All I can say is that we have commenced a full scale investigation into the matter after we received the petition on Wednesday evening.

“It is when we listen to all parties involved that we would establish if there was a case of human trafficking or not. There have been no facts presented to me other than the petition I received. The people who presented the petition would make a statement, likewise the other party involved then we would be able to come to an objective conclusion. We cannot presuppose.

“I cannot assume what would happen if they refuse to honour our invitation but when we get to the bridge, we would cross it. When we start the investigation, you would be informed but at this stage, we have just received the petition and we just commenced,” he said.

However, when Mr. Ajayi, Sophia’s lawyer, was contacted by Saturday Beats, he corroborated Famakin’s position before giving an insight into the matter.

“This case is a novel one that is open to different dimensions in my understanding. There was abduction from the story that I was told. The lady was tricked to go to a house supposedly for custodian purpose but when she got there, the baby was taken from her and she was thrown out by Davido’s sister. That looks like a case of abduction because the young woman forcefully took a baby that wasn’t hers.

“The second part is the attempt to take the baby out of the country. As soon as the immigration officers at the airport asked who the mother of the baby was, Miss Ashley Adeleke, raised her hand up that she was the mother. Immediately, her passports were taken from her and she was asked some questions but because of the crowded nature of our airport, she was able to abscond from the place with the baby. As it is now, the baby is still in her custody. The lady tried taking the child out of the country without the knowledge and consent of the mother. That wasn’t the first time such would be happening. That, in my understanding, is trafficking,” the lawyer said.

Speaking further, Ajayi disclosed that his clients were not interested in making a case but want peace for Sophia and her daughter, Imade. According to him, the whole saga had thrown the young lady in a psychological mess.

“Our primary concern is that the baby be returned to the mother but if the agency is able to establish that Davido abducted the child, then it could either lead to a custodian sentence. The fact before the court would determine what sentence he gets. But there would be conviction before there can be a sentence. I cannot say what the sentence would be,” he said.